JERRY THE FA'AFAFINE

In the manner of a Samoan man

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

I live in Manukau City, South of Auckland; New Zealand. We have the densest pacific island population of any country in the world. The given is that meeting other like minded queers like yourself is easy, since geographically we’re all in the same city. You would think it were that simple. The Polynesian Princes of south Auckland are as closeted as the gays in the NRL. They have refined their visibility to a passing fragrance of I WANNA FUCK YOU BUT I”M WITH HER. The problem with this metaphor is that it reeks of homos in south Auckland but these men have succeeded in making themselves invisible. So therein lays the problem of trying to engage and understand a type of man that exists only in theory. I imagine this type of man as wanting to express his sexual fluidity and attraction to the same sex however being stunted by his contradicting physicality, one of which is typically hetronormative and in gender specific terms what is appropriate for him to conform to i.e. “I am built in the manner of a man that is only biologically compatible with a significant other of the opposite sex”. This belief system is made a mantra that affirms a masculine stereotype and a gender ideal that is perpetuated, driven and motivated both sociologically and politically by a western heterosexual statuesque and moral majority.

The art works posted on this blog are inspired by this idea. This is JERRY THE FA’AFAFINE he is pleased to have finally found you and met you...

When those scared women at the Mangere Art
Centre made a complaint about my portraits of Iona, Leo and Daniel, I
took it on the chin, I knew the art was doing it's job... What I
learned over the long term was that I hadn't even warmed up to pushing
boundaries and your safe lil comfort zones - "but y'all gone learn
today" FAKE
MORAL OUTRAGE.. IT'S LIKE SAMOAN SLUTS AND SECRETLY SEXUAL DEVIANTS
THAT GET OFF PRETENDING THEY NEVER THINK OR TALK ABOUT SEX. AT LEAST I
OWN MY SHIT.http://youtu.be/XcLMdSkCGnI

I START A PROJECT THAT HELPS ME RESOLVE SOME INTERNAL CONFLICT IN MY LIFE AND ONCE IT'S SORTED I QUICKLY MOVE ON. BUT THEN THE PROJECTS GETS LEFT BEHIND AND BERRIED IN THE DIGITAL GRAVEYARD OF THE INTERNET. I REMEMBER THIS BLOG BEING ABOUT ART. ART THAT I LIKED. SO MAYBE LETS REVISIT THIS THEME AND SEE IF WE CAN'T REINVIGORATE SOME LIFE BACK INTO THIS BLOG. I THOUGHT I'D START WITH SOMETHING RUDE AND INAPPROPRIATE LIKE - BUTT BULLY. FOR THOSE OF YOU BLOG SPOT USERS THAT HAVEN'T MIGRATED TO TUMBLR... HERE'S SOME TUMBLR RABBIT FOOD FOR YOUR TRIP DOWN THE TUMBLR RABBIT HOLE.

Modeled after the underground Harlem Ball scene of the 1940’s,
popularised more prolifically in New York City in the early 1980’s. A
‘Ball’ is a live event in which urban ethnic minority groups and queer
subcultures showcase their creative talents across a diverse spectrum of
competitive genres such as performance, dance and runway fashion.

If you’re an attention seeker looking to capture the crowds applause
with your fierce show stopping swag, then assemble your house of divas
and lets take it to the ballroom floor.

The FAFSWAG BALL is a fast-paced night of entertainment with some
good old-fashioned competitive flare. A judging panel of creative
industry professionals and an MC with a taste for drama and spectacle
come together in search of the HOUSE with the most swag. If you want to
be crowned Legends then bring your best SHADE to the 2013 FAFSWAG BALL.

Hosted in South Auckland the FAFSWAG BALL is the first of it’s kind,
presented in partnership with Manukau Faculty of Creative Arts M.I.T and
The Otara Community Board. This event allows diverse Pacific LGBTI and
the broader SouthSide community to come together to celebrate unique
difference in a cool and creative way.

Go
placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember
what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good
terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen
to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too
have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are
vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may
become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser
persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes
of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for
the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there
is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face
of all aridity and disenchantment it is as
perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in
sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself
with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with
yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than
the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt
the universe is unfolding as it should.Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you
conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the
noisy confusion of life keep peace with your
soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it
is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to
be happy.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE LEFT YOU, WITHOUT A DOPE BEAT TO STEP TO.

So there's a lot that's changed in the months I haven't been blogging.. For all of my 12 followers slash subscribers... haha watch this space over the next few weeks for some updates... In the meantime.. enjoy our first ever attempt at making a FAFSWAG GIFF. This one is called HASHTAG - TROUBLE.

Mykki Blanco coined the phrase with his rap lyric "What the hell I godda prove to a room full of dudes who aint listening to my words cause they staring at my shoes" the sentiment frames this next post perfectly!!

FOR COLOURED BOYS

Lets not get it twisted with the pretty pictures and colourful cartoons. Having to validate 'me and mine' to ignorant people invading my space and pushing their privileged positions on me. You don't have to get it you just have to keep 'you and yours' to your dam self. Fuck!! write a blog if my being gay bothers you that much. If you feel the pressure of having 'gay' shit infiltrate your perfectly clean little bubble that's not my fault. Take a minute, look around and get in tune with the ways of the world.

How are you gonna notice a human being, let alone whats good for you when you spend your whole time staring at my sex! FUCKING STRAIGHT PEOPLE. I don't want to have to hear or care about your uncle or cousin or besty who happens to be gay. You saying that in a sentence when you meet another gay person is fucking patronizing. That's for your comfort and your piece of mind so you can feel like you relate to 'me and mine'.

But your relational politics are a fraud. Like telling me you know what it's like to be raped cause you saw it in a movie this one time. Like you know what prejudiced and intolerance is cause you know some black people up in your world. How bout acknowledging the limitations of your experience and you do you instead of informing me how much you know what it's like to be me.

As for the SAMOANS that don't get it. That's just some straight up bullshit. I see you populating the shadows and the awkward space like that's where babies are made. But it's simply cause no one would expect you have your hand down 'him and his'. I see you preaching your words of hate as all god fearing men do, but you practice the same as 'me and mine' while still in the grace of same god who sees all and knows all.

I feel like he enjoys watching you give head, get spit roast and spin back round and spit a prayer out like a warm wind just blew up your sunday best man skirt and tickled your fucking ballbags. I'm blessed he touched me. Then you get cuddle up to the boosem of your warm little lie and stare down your fucking nose at me like I'm fucking Judas because I happen to take ownership of me and my shit....FUCKYOU

This is a picture of my sister taken from one of my other artworks.
I've seen so many Fa'afafine mimic the traditional manner of the Samoan Taupou. I'm wondering what would happen if a FAF was to take up the role and run with it. How would our people respond when convention and tradition are challenged and destablised. Is any one keen to explore this idea with me?

ART RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME. dollar dollar bills ya'll!!
Seems like everyone has one of these things... FB has made self publishing a validation tool for those with small voices and too much time. Say's I... who for the very same reason refuses to start a tumblr simply cause my poor social habits are already recorded on enough Social Media sites... Any way, art is always my interface, and JERRY one of my many brands still needs to be out in the world, So fuck-it!! SUCK SOME SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION BALLZ.

This is a blog post from a blogger named Patrick Thomsen who manages a blog called AccidentalAnarchist

I enjoy researching the Samoan Gay experience online as a means of engaging discourses around themes of homosexuality amongst Samoan and Pacific communities. This relates to my arts practice and the thinking behind a lot of what gets expressed here under the output of JERRY THE FA'AFAFINE.

I always imagine some day i'd write my post grad based on what visible information existed online and was collected on this blog. For me this space is where I get to share what is often a truncated version of some of those findings. The translation to my own social media output is always aligned to my visual language as an artist. So sometimes the conversations are articulated as art works. (FLASHING LIGHTS AND PRETTY LIL PICTURES)

I wanted to share the above blog post titled 'Gay marriage, The Samoan Community and its Hypocrisy' because here for the first time is a refreshing perspective on the issue. This intelligent and articulate voice carefully and in a sharp and considered manner, disassembles a lot of SAMOAS cultural double standards when it comes to sex and homosexuality.

This text is the first one in a long time that I've felt connected to as an artist. I really enjoyed the writing. Please click the Link and have a jack at it yourself. It may speak to you as it clearly has to me. As a gesture to the conviction of equality I thought I gift to you a picture of myself and what I really look like.

Samoan Men // Boys have been parodying females for as long as we've had Fa'afafine. This is totally embedded in my culture. In fact, in the only manner in which it is acceptable to display any homosexual characteristics as a Samoan man, is when they are extremely exaggerated, in which instance this action can be as perversely absurd and still seem perfectly normal.

Pacific performance, inclusive of our theatre, music and obsession with pageants will always showcase two polar and contradicting opposites. -- The FAFZ adorning severe female pantomimes that take the position, that they are more woman than a real woman. and -- The groups of boys and men who dress up as FAFZ and perform satirical dance choreography to a song.

A recent fad over the past years has been the female parody of the pop song "SINGLE LADIES" by R&B artist Beyonce. The year this song came out, you could guarantee to see a group of supposedly straight Samoan males performing to this song at every wedding, social, concert, opening of a fucking envelope or formal event.

The Samoan masses prefer when the FAFZ BREAK THE TENSION OF FORMALITY WITH A LIL SONG AND DANCE.

I do enjoy when other men reach out and share some of their UNDERCOVER BROTHER stories. On Facebook I posted a question on the QueerNZ FB page asking if all Poly men are in the closet and if so how do they all fit in there? (clearly my cynicism playing out on the internet) I got some interesting feedback but my favorite was this story below shared by 'Taniwha Tu' who also let me repost it on this blog. Thanks for that Taniwha Tu, I have no doubt there are thousands of guys out there with similar stories about polly boy and yet those FAFS probably have no idea the gays talk about them.

Shot on a Cannon mark 5D, I took this fancy camera to a Samoan night club in South Auckland called "APIAWAY". With a Notorious reputation for drunken disorderly, and extreme violence in some cases, the clubs familiar exterior has welcomed in a new era of drunken and disorderly. This Younger generation take their own unique brand of PolySwagg to this infamous spot every thursday night in the spirit of --PARTY & BULLSHIT-- keeping alive the traditions of the two generations before them.

Dripping with hormones and beautiful Pacific people the territorial boundaries of this clubs past have now been replaced with mating rituals that look like post tweens doing the 'Dougie'. I met this gorgeous young man outside with my camera ASSistant (LIFE OF A FAF) and snapped some shots up against the red steel cage. I never caught his name but then thats always the way.

I used to wonder when anyone in SOUTHSIDE would ever open a gay bar, then I remembered the army of FAFZ that turn out to AY-WAY on a thursday night and then I realized that of course... APIAWAY is South Auckland's oldest standing gay bar to date. hahaha

I first came across Pope Bron$ via a phone call from a friend who was in wellington reading an article in the 'SUNDAY' pull-out of the weekend herald. Titled 'Rap's Last Taboo' it was a story about a GAY RAPPER from South Auckland. The article read like an expose on the novelty of Gay notoriety within the genre of GANGSTA RAP. It broke down hiphop to its audience as a generally homophobic industry and anchored the meat of its story around the shock value of a boy from OTARA south Auckland, openly gay, out the closet and making music about his Pacific Gay experience.

As a lover of HIPHOP and a Polly Gay, I was taken back by the notion of a gay rapper and kind of relieved that in 2011 there was a kid out there with the balls to speak some truth. This blog has always been about the visibility of the Gay Pacific identity within my own back yard. Of course it seemed to make sense to me to get an interview with POPE BRON$.

We shot this about 2 months ago out in OTARA one afternoon. Pope Bron$ adresses 'The Gay Scene', Comming Out and his music.. Enjoy the first video created for JERRY THE FAF.